SUPPORTED BY

WHAT IS CONGRESS?

WHAT IS CONGRESS?

Instead of reading these words below, come to our practice, where you can see the fun in action! But if you like reading...

In the simplest terms, Student Congress is an event modeled after what members of the U.S. Congress do in real life. It is a debate event, though in many ways, it is like a speech event. Students will be given nine topics normally a month in advance to prepare. Each student will propose a legislation (a Bill or Resolution, so you have something to debate on) and prepare several three-minute long speeches. Student will debate each other by giving speeches on these topics.

This event is designed to be the introductory event for Debate. It is simple and very easy to get a hang of it. If you are interested, feel free to stop by our weekly meeting.

The following is an excerpt from the 2005-2006 WACFL Student Congress Manual on what Congress is:

"Many students feel quite bewildered by the idea of Student Congress. In fact, students often attend practice after practice for week after week preparing for their first session of congress and then remarkably ask the day before the session, "What exactly is going to happen tomorrow?"

Student Congress is not intended to be a confusing event. In fact, Student Congress ought to be relatively easy to grasp because it is exactly as its name implies. It is an actual session of Congress run by students in a manner similar to the Congress of the United States and you participate as if you were a member of the U.S. Congress. You are referred to as Senator and are expected to treat the event as if you were truly serving as a member of the U.S. Congress. Just like real Senators, you write legislation, which you hope to have passed by the Chamber. Student Congress is, however, primarily evaluated on the basis of speeches. Both before and during competition, you write and deliver speeches in support of your legislation or in support of another student's legislation. You also write and deliver speeches in opposition to other student's legislation in the hopes of preventing it from being passed by the chamber. This is the essence of Student Congress. The topics open for debate at each session are drawn directly from current events and focus on domestic, international, and economic affairs that are within the power and purview of the U.S. Congress."